eBusiness Weekly
The Kicks e-Power has been a a bit of a sleeper hit for Nissan across the region. It’s been a good seller here in the Philippines, too.
That’s a surprise given that the market hasn’t really embraced the idea of electrification just yet.
Since it’s selling well, do you think it’s a good time to add another variant to the Kicks lineup? Well, the folks from Nissan Thailand seem to think so.
During the recent Bangkok International Motor Show, Nissan introduced the Autech edition, and its ASEAN premiere opens up the possibility of a local version.
But what exactly does the Autech version have to offer? We’ll be upfront and say there are no performance gains in the Autech.
It still sticks to a single electric motor layout that’s paired to a 1.2-litre, three-cylinder engine that serves as a generator, and its output is retained at 134hp and 280Nm of torque. So, it’s not quicker than a standard Kicks e-Power, but at least it looks faster.
The Autech variant adds a unique styling kit to the electrified crossover. At the front, it gets more slats on the grille and ‘studded’ foglight housings.
It also gets a deeper chin spoiler to give it a more aggressive look.
Over to the side, it gets a metallic silver garnish that runs through the bottom of the doors, along with silver side mirror caps and a set of gloss black 17-inch alloy wheels.
As for the rear, the lower half of the bumper has been given a sportier look with its silver trim piece.
There are changes to the interior as well. The cabin gets soft-touch materials on the dashboard and door cards, and the dash fascia gets blue stitching for added zing.
There’s more blue to be found inside, namely on the seat bolsters, door armrests, and the steering wheel stitches.
So, what are the odds of it coming to the Philippines? We’d say there’s a pretty good chance, since Nissan Philippines has been introducing special regional editions of its models here recently.
A good example of this is the Terra Sport, although that first appeared here before getting launched in Thailand.
Either way, a sportier Nissan Kicks could eventually land here in one form or another, with or without the Autech badge. — topgear
